Teaching
With a few weeks of “normal” teaching and assisting under my belt (and a month of English camps, plus tutoring here and back home), I have some observations about teaching. Teaching is NOT something I would have imagined myself doing, even up to a few years ago. I don’t like working with most children and I didn’t care for many of the teachers I had in school, at least with concerns to their teaching. Neither of these are absolutes by any means. But teaching seemed pretty dull, thankless and unrewarding, demanding long hours and offering low pay.
I don’t really take much of that back. At least in regards to teaching in public schools in America. The more I was around the kids back home, the more I kept thinking “We were never that bad. We would at least listen to the teacher, mostly.” You know, the things old people say. But I love my work here.
What changed?
I don’t really know. Teaching here is different in many respects. Students seem a lot more disciplined at the younger ages; at the college level, they seem less disciplined in our English classes than American college students. It’s not black and white, though. And, for the most part, I don’t wish to teach children, still. They need constantly entertained. They are cats that must be herded. It is ultimately a lot more fun for me to teach college age students or adults, as I am now.
The pay is certainly better here, which, in the English teaching industry. Just judging from the conversations I’ve had with English teachers, the Hakwon (private English classes outside of normal school) circuit is dangerous (in that you will often be cheated and vocationally abused) but lucrative. I know the colleges pay well, too. I don’t know how it is for a public school teacher, and I don’t know what the Korean teachers get paid, but I’d wager it is more than a small town Kansas teacher. Just the way things go, I suppose. Either way, if I consider teaching as a vocation, money becomes more important than it is now, as a student (my visa precludes me from working, and I am not eligible for a work visa until I graduate).
Despite of all that, teaching in Korea really seems to click. The only think I could have chocked it up to before coming here was a desire to feel smart and a willingness to help people. I think there is a lot more to it than that. I still don’t want to teach in America, at least not English to 8th grade students. That is a punishment for something severe, like murder or voting for Hillary Clinton. To the people who do it, I salute you. I mean the people who teach, not the murderers and Hillary voters.
Learning
My Korean language classes began last week. Sunlin has gone out of their way to accommodate me and my unique schedule. My time in Korea does not line up with the off-cadence organization of the Korean Classes. As such, I am an anomaly (again), and doing my best to make myself worth the trouble.
The class is hard. Even though I know a lot of the stuff, my pronunciation is constantly being reworked, and I had to learn all over again how to write (properly) the Hangul characters. On top of that the vocabulary is all new. It’s an excellent learning opportunity, but none the less difficult. I’m doing my best to use the language when I can, and Koreans are quick to add to my vocabulary, but I’m stressing language muscles I haven’t used in a long time, and it makes me tired.
Disorganized Korea
I don’t even think Koreans would argue that they are disorganized. Most requests for information come shortly before that information is due. Inter-entity bureaucracy is well pronounced. One department or government office might have information on you, but cannot or will not share it with a cooperating department. Records are often lost or molested. Usually things come down to the wire on their end, and that rush is transferred to you. People will ask you to come in at 6 PM to give them a document they need that day. It’s not about the rightness or wrongness of the situation; most of that can be pawned off on societal differences. It’s just something that you should be prepared for.
To date, I haven’t had anything come up that was impossible or even terribly difficult. I don’t know that it happens often. But here are some ways to prepare that will allow you to react quickly:
Carry 20,000W at all times. That’s roughly $20. Many places don’t take credit card, and most things are much less than $20, so it’s reasonable. This can buy you a taxi, cover a meal, pay most processing fees for forms, etcetera.
Get your alien registration card and carry it with you always. I don’t like carrying around my passport, and my Kansas drivers license isn’t valid ID in many places, here. You’ll want that ID, and you’ll seemingly be asked for it at random.
Buy a cellphone. I haven’t done this yet, and it’s been a pain. In America, we are much less cellphone dependent than Koreans. I plan on getting one as soon as possible, but there have been hundreds of times in the last month that I’ve wanted or needed one.
People and classes
Here are some pictures of people and the campus:
On Sunlin Campus
On Sunlin Campus
